Bill and Milt Larsen originally planned to turn a showboat into their magic gathering place. But that idea proved unworkable. Later, when Milt met businessman Tom Glover, a partnership was born.

And, so begins the history of the Magic Castle as presented in an article on the Magic Castle from the Signal.

Larsen said the Magic Castle probably would never have happened if he hadn't been a television gag writer and believed "nothing was too absurd."

Furnishing the property with Victorian-era items collected from homes scheduled for demolition and other venues, as well as movie and magician-related artifacts, Larsen has never stopped changing and expanding the Magic Castle.

"We started with a 6,400-square-foot house. It's now 29,000 square feet," he said.